Here at Such A Voice, we bring together some pretty incredible professionals from all different parts of the world to provide our students with a top voice-over education. Our staff members have such a wide variety of backgrounds and unique personalities. From working VO actors starring in movies, video games, and national TV commercial campaigns, to producers spending their days working on voice-over demos as well as broadcast voice-over work, to copywriters, casting directors and many other industry skills in between! We genuinely love bringing our expertise and our experiences together to create the best programs for our students.
For this week’s staff spotlight, we’d like to introduce you to Such A Voice coach, Angela Castonguay!
SAV: You’re a Such A Voice graduate, right? Tell us how it all began!
Castonguay: I am a proud Such A Voice grad. Voice-over is actually my third career. My first career was teaching 6-7-8th grade English in parochial schools – I survived that! Then, I transitioned into corporate America, running several companies for a group of gentlemen having businesses in GA and FL. I had always entertained the idea, however, of recording children’s books. When I discovered SAV, I immediately decided to give it a try. Heather Costa taught my intro class in Atlanta, GA. I continued to work with her to get ready for my recording session. I also signed on for some additional technique training with Lisa Foster and took the leap into the VO world. These two wonderful mentors are now my colleagues!
SAV: What is your role here at SAV?
Castonguay: I love my job! As a producer, I get to work with our students as they approach the end of their coaching sessions. They transition from their coach to work with me on preparing their custom demo scripts and then we hit the studio for the demo session. It’s the most fun ever! It is so energizing to work with such an outstanding variety of people all of whom have their own distinctive sounds. My goal is to get the very finest performances during the session and to have fun “rockin’ the mic!” There is nothing that gives me more satisfaction than helping our new voice actors achieve their goals.
I work closely with my producer colleagues, Claudine Ohayon and Nancy Wilson, and alongside post production gurus, Dale Epperson and Oliver Gebhardt. Production and post production work require skill, collaboration, and just a touch of magic!
I also meet with our new coaches and contribute to their Such A Voice training. It is so inspiring how much experience each coach brings to the SAV family. Getting to know them on a one-on-one basis is truly an outstanding experience for me.
SAV: We’d love to learn more about who the amazing Angela is, like where you live or if you have any kids? You know the drill. 😉
Castonguay: I’m a Southern gal, originally from Charlotte, NC, (Go Duke!) but I have lived in Macon, GA since the 90’s. My favorite places in this part of the country are Nashville, TN, Savannah, GA, and Hilton Head, SC (especially the Tiki Hut!)
I have two amazing children, both University of Georgia BullDawgs, so we are huge SEC fans. It’s sort of a religion here in the South. My son, Ryan, is an air traffic controller in the Navy. After being stationed in Naples, Italy (I have a lovely Italian daughter-in-law) and Sasebo, Japan, he is finally in the beautiful Pacific Northwest on Whidbey Island. If you’re ever flying in the Vancouver to SeaTac air space, chances are he’s talking to your pilot.
My daughter, Ashley Frances, told me that she wanted to travel after college graduation and I mildly suggested that she might want to get a job, so she got one in Staines, England. After returning to the “colonies,” she left for Spokane and Gonzaga law school. Now she is an attorney with the Utah Office of the Attorney General in Salt Lake City.
SAV: If you could only keep five possessions, what would they be?
Castonguay: Whew! Tough question! Photos, definitely! They each tell a story of where we’ve been. A close second would be Mother’s Day, birthday, and holiday cards containing personal messages. Third choice would be my collection of evening bags. My husband has given me a bag from almost every place we have traveled. These elegant, antique bags have a past of their own, but we have filled them with our memories, too! Fourth possession would be my first mic, my Audio Technica 2035. AT and I spent a lot of hours together in the studio those first few years. I’d like to say my last choice would be something inspiring and profound, but actually it would just be my travel cosmetic bag. An extra swipe of mascara and some lip gloss can build confidence most of the time. ;0)
SAV: Who do you most admire in your life?
Castonguay: I definitely admire my kids. While I grew up catching lightning bugs and playing kickball under the corner street light, their lives have been shaped by Desert Storm, school shootings, impeachment of a President, space shuttle disasters, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and environmental chaos. Yet they remain positive about the state of our world. They contribute to their communities, and they’re funny and kind. They NEVER hesitate to tell me when I’m taking myself too seriously. They also think it’s pretty cool that I know what to do with a microphone and a computer.
SAV: What was your favorite voice-over job that you’ve done?
Castonguay: I have absolutely loved every job I’ve ever done. I get to wake up every morning and play ‘Let’s Pretend!” My most recent and ongoing gig is with Finding Lost Melodies. Finding Lost Melodies mission is to train dogs to search for and locate missing persons and to recover the remains of those who have not survived an incident. They operate solely on donations and volunteer efforts. I’m so proud to be the voice to communicate their mission to others!
SAV: When you started out, be honest, were there moments you wish you could have done things differently? Do share….
Castonguay: When I started in the VO biz, I still had two kids on the payroll, so auditions and voiceover gigs were a part-time deal. But I had a beautiful Plan A. In this plan, everything I did went swimmingly smooth, I won every audition, and I never had a glitch with any of my equipment. VO Happily Ever After! Many times, however, that turned out to be the exception and not the norm. I had to decide when something went wrong. Did I handle it by whining and complaining? Or did I take a deep breath and come up with Plan B? Because ultimately, life is all about how you handle Plan B.
SAV: What’s your favorite pastime?
Castonguay: The grill sizzling, ice clinking in glasses, and the sounds of friends and family sharing stories and laughing around the kitchen island. I am passionate about cooking! Some years ago, I started a bread business, Loafin’ Around, and spent some time taking cooking classes and creating bread gift baskets. While I still do small caterings from time to time, I am the happiest when cooking for family and friends. For me, it’s all about the love you put into the creation of food and then eating it, of course.
SAV: If you could meet anyone, living or deceased, who would you choose?
Castonguay: There are many people that I admire and that I would love to meet. Bill and Melinda Gates, Robin Williams, Elon Musk, and Princess Grace come to mind. The one person that I would love to sit down with would be Jackie Kennedy. There are many things that I admire about her: she was fiercely devoted to family, her competence in handling the public spotlight yet creating her own private life, the dignity she exhibited in Dallas in 1963, and her ability to recreate herself as a consulting editor at Viking Press. She must have had such strength.
SAV: What is your favorite inspirational quote?
Castonguay: This quote is on the wall of my studio and I read it faithfully every morning and evening. Excellent inspiration for me!
“She stood in the storm and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails.”
